Spiders in the Attic
by Scrap Metal Skeleton
Summary: The Straw Hats are plagued by a mysterious stowaway out for all of their lives, but with no sign of the intruder, how will they fight back when it nearly kills three of their nakama? See warnings inside. Possible LuNa at the end. ON HIATUS TO BE REWRITTEN
1. Under a Sanguine Sun

**Spiders in the Attic**

**Chapter One: Under a Sanguine Sun **

**It will use medical terms (see ending bold words at end for definitions and explanations). WARNING: This is not going to be at all like La Tejedora. It will be gory. It will be angsty (probably). Plainly stated, it might be unsuitable for certain readers.**

**Try listening to The Attic by In Flames.**

**Am I a sadist?**

** Wait.**

** … **

**The hell is a sadist?**

* * *

><p>After the battle, he'd been bedridden for a few days with a fever. It had broken in the middle of the night, and he had woken up to find Chopper sleeping next to his bed in the infirmary. He was obviously dead-tired, probably from tending to his wounds. The boy smiled and patted the reindeer on the head before quietly and gently sneaking off the bed and out onto the deck. He didn't know who had watch that night, but he hoped it wasn't someone who'd rat him out. Trying as best he can, he sneaked across the deck and slipped into the galley, closing the door behind him. Inside, it was nearly pitch black, the only light being a few dim rays of the Moon through a few of the windows. He smiled mischievously and started toward the fridge. What he saw next he could never have been prepared for. Curled up in front of the fridge was a form of a person. A sanguine liquid pooled around the form and scintillated in the moonlight. He paused for a moment, shocked, but soon darted for a light source and upon returning to the scene, confirmed his fears. Lying before him was the form of none other than the ship's cook and his nakama, Sanji. He knelt down and quickly began shaking him and calling his name, only when he noticed the pool of blood grow, did he cease. Across his chest were several <em>deep<em> lacerations and a stab wound. They were so deep he could see the splintered and slashed bone gleaming a red-stained white within the cavities of his severed flesh.

"Sanji!" the boy called, grabbing the man's face and positioning it to face his. Pain stabbed at his heart when the man did not speak, wake, or even twitch at his efforts. There was only silence and a faint, hollow sound that was his injured friend's breathing.

He was about to stand to run and get Chopper when footsteps were heard and the galley door opened behind him. He whipped around ready to fight, but let his fists fall to his sides when he saw it was only his swordsman.

"What the hell, is going on with all the yelling? Watch duty is already bad enough wi-" he stopped dead on his words and his face paled as he noticed the cook laying behind his captain.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled, turning back to the cook, "We have to go get Chopper. Sanji's-" his eyes widened, forgetting the rest of his words as a searing pain shot through the left side of his chest as something sharp forced it's way in and out of his flesh. Then another on his right, this one stayed twisting in his flesh, a sickening crack of splintering bone sounded as his cut ribs shifted and tore out the side of his torso. He felt a warm liquid slip down his skin and soak into his clothes. A choked cough came from his mouth as he struggled to breathe, his lungs filling with the same crimson liquid that gave him life. His lungs were squeezed tight by his broken ribs. Something made a sound behind him, but he could not make it out. He fell to his side, unable to keep upright after whatever ran him through was removed. His last sight was his swordsman lying motionless next to him. He was covered in blood. With his last bit of strength he tried to force out his name, but to his surprise, the name slipped through his mind like sand through his fist.

XXXXX

It was dark. That's all that he knew; it was dark and he remembered nothing. Opening his eyes, light poured into them from the windows. He remembered now; he'd gone to the galley to get a snack after he'd woken up. Had he fallen asleep; why was he on the floor? He tried to sit up only to be greeted by the sound of cracking, scraping bones and an excruciating pain throughout his broken torso. When he fell back on to his back he was caught by a fit of coughing, blood following the air his coughs forced from his lungs. The coughing made the pain worse. Much worse. He rolled onto his side to try to better release the liquid from his lungs, ignoring the nauseating sound his broken ribs made as they shifted in and out his punctured flesh. Finally the coughing ceased and he lay there wheezing, trying to catch his breath; he was exhausted. His mind felt heavy and fuzzy and cold, like his skull was packed with ice. He glanced to his sides, both of his nakama lay motionless covered in had attacked them?

Wait. Shit! His mind ran to his other nakama. If the enemy had done this to himself, Sanji,_ and_ Zoro, what had he done to the others? Using this feeling to drive him, he dragged his arms below him and forced himself up; his arms quivered beneath his weight. He grimaced in pain as more blood from his reopened wounds splattered across the floor in uneven spurts; his broken ribs again shifted as his intercostal muscles(1) struggled to work and tighten around them. The intense pain shook his very being and then almost instantly upon fully extending his arms, his body numbed and he smashed back onto the floor, howling in pain as his bones splintered against the floor. He lay there for a moment as the pain subsided, however so slightly. This time he stayed on the floor and hauled his tattered body to the tableside and, using his arms, he heaved himself to his feet, his top half leaning over the tableside. _Sanji is going to kill me when he sees what a mess I made of his kitchen, _he thought at first, jokingly. He then staggered to the wall leaning most of his weight on it as he limped to the galley door, which was still open. As he met it, he stumbled over his feet and fell, fortunately grabbing the railing and unfortunately jostling his wounds in the process as his body slammed against it. He let out a cry of pain and hissed, doubling over onto his knees.

XXXXX

She awoke because of a nightmare. The scream nearly sounded like it had actually been uttered, if uttered is an appropriate word for it. Light shone in through the window of her room, Robin slept in her own bed next to her, a rare sight, as she was usually seen reading while the others slumbered. The air told her it was going to be a nice sunny and warm day, but there was something else in it. Something felt just plain wrong, something sinister. It had nothing to do with air pressure or climate, she simply had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, she had doubts about the shout being part of her dream and threw off her covers, dashing out the door and onto the deck.

The Sun was just rising and the air was cool and fresh and clean from the night. Zoro was keeping watch tonight, could something really have snuck up on _him_? He was very cognizant even in his sleep. She didn't need to begin searching as she heard heavy, slow footsteps behind her. She turned expecting to see one of her nakama smiling at her flustered state. Her heart fell as she was greeted by the opposite. Tears instantly gathered and then poured over her eyelids and she brought a hand up to her mouth in a gasp. She saw her captain, her friend, the strongest man she knows, tattered and torn and bleeding curled over the railing of the galley, his face stricken with unadulterated pain.

"Ch-chop…'r, he spoke earning a few blood-filled coughs.

"Lu-Luffy…?" she gasped in horror. The boy made no sign he was aware that she was there. She wasted no more time, dashing for the hatch and pulling it up in one fluid motion.

"CHOPPER!" She screamed as loud as she possibly could, "GET UP HERE NOW!" The last bit was garbled through her tears and sobs. She then ran from her spot and hurried up the steps, catching her captain just before he met the floor, bending down to her knees, resting his head on her lap. She then noticed the magnitude of his injuries. He had two stab wounds, both through-in-through, both piercing his lungs. One was on his left, puncturing his left lung and probably narrowly missing his heart, the other went through his right lung. It was a miracle neither of them had collapsed. The right was the more serious of the two. The flesh around the wound was shredded and looked as though a vicious animal had torn into him with its teeth. His severed ribs jutted in awkward positions out his right side. Several other wounds adorned his right side, probably places his ribs had torn in and out of his side as his body shifted. His breathing was shallow and tortured and his face was warm with fever and twisted in pain. She again covered her mouth with her free hand, "Luffy," she said in a choked sob, closing her eyes as the tears welled and spilled over.

"N- 'ami…'s okay," she opened her eyes. He was smiling weakly, " 'M g-glad….you're, al…'ight…"

"Idiot! Worry about yourself!" she said, her voice hoarse and cracked.

He only smiled again and lifted his arm slowly, wiping the tears from one of her eyes with his thumb, "I…p-promised that old guy…'d …n'ver make you cry…" he paused to breathe, "g-guess…I…f-failed…sorry…." He said and smiled again.

She took up his hand in hers before it fell. His gesture only made her worry more. He spoke as though those words were his last. She fought more tears back from her eyes with a torn smile, hoping to conceal her worry with a seemingly-strong front of faith.

Chopper suddenly busted up out from below deck followed closely by Usopp and Robin. He skittered up the steps, his hooves clacking against the wooden deck until he skidded to a halt next to his two friends. Robin and Usopp followed in suit but froze once they saw the scene before them.

"What-what happened?" Chopper squeaked, kneeling down next to Luffy's abdomen.

"I- don't…I- just hurry!" Nami said flustered.

Chopper began rummaging through his medical pack, but Luffy grabbed him by the wrist before he could do anything more.

"N-no…others….first," he said quietly between breaths.

"O-others….?" Chopper stuttered, following Luffy's eyes to the galley door before smelling more blood in the air, "Sanji! Zoro!" His eyes darted around, realizing they were not present, before again falling on his injured captain, "I-I need to take of you first," he said sternly.

Again Luffy stopped him, "C-captain's o-orders…" he breathed.

Chopper's eyes widened and tears welled in his eyes. He nodded fiercely, "Aye!" but hesitated before rushing for the galley door, simultaneously ordering Nami to try to stop the bleeding and calling Robin back with him.

XXXXX

He rushed into the galley so fast he nearly toppled over on himself as he turned to run over to his two unconscious nakama. He reached Zoro first and began examining his body, gently removing his shirt first. He found many bruises and a few minor cuts. He palpated around a few of the bruises on his chest, careful not to press hard enough to induce any clotting. He diagnosed that he had a few minor fractures on his ribs but nothing life-threatening, so he turned to Sanji. His jaw dropped.

He jumped over to him, calling Robin to gently uncurl his body so he was laying on his back. He then removed the cook's coat and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the extent of his injuries. Three _very_ deep slashes; two cut vertically down his torso, the last was perpendicular to them and cut into his middle, just where his ribs ended. There was also a stab wound where his right femur met his pelvis. He gave several orders to Robin to bring out tools from his medical bag: his hemostats(2) and surgical tools, some hydrogen peroxide(3), and a tourniquet(4). He gently cleaned the partially scabbed wounds after the tourniquet had been properly placed and tightened. He then began further examining his wounds. '_Good,'_ he thought, '_his heart and lungs have been protected.'_ Unfortunately, his ribs had been cut clean through, regardless. He would need to have metal plates put in to prevent any future damage to his organs. The last slash across his stomach had ruptured his liver slightly. Luckily, it had sealed itself enough to stop bleeding and, just as lucky, it had not severed his aorta(5). If it had, Chopper would have needed a body bag and a headstone instead of his tools. He cleaned the wound and then stitched it closed and after the other treatments were finished and he was satisfied, he placed markers where the plates would need to be secured and then stitched his remaining wounds shut; he'd have to put the plates in later. He rose and asked Robin to watch the two and notify him of any changes to their conditions before rushing out the door for Luffy.

XXXXX

She watched Chopper as he disappeared into the galley with Robin on his heels. She then looked back to Luffy's mangled form. His eyes were now closed tightly in pain and he was struggling to breathe. She had to stop his bleeding, or he'd surely die. Her mind jumped at the thought and she removed her night shirt, balled it up and pressed it to his right, more serious wound, careful not to press his broken ribs any further into his torn flesh. She nearly let up when he reeled back and hissed at her touch, but she repressed the urge and kept up the compression. Her eyes then darted to Usopp, who was still standing by the top of the steps, a look of obvious concern plastered across his face.

"Usopp! Take off your shirt and help me!" her voice was urgent and strained but any anger was replaced by an intense desperation.

"R-right!" he stuttered, removing his shirt as he moved to kneel on the other side of their captain. He also balled it up and then applied pressure to his left wound. He glanced up to Nami. She was no longer looking at him nor at Luffy. Her eyes were tilted down, locked firmly on something directly before her. He wondered if she was looking at his wounds but tossed the idea. Her eyes were not full of fear nor anguish nor worry; in them burned flames of determination. Determination to stop the bleeding. Determination to save Luffy, like he had for them so many times before. The same fiery feeling began to ignite in his own heart. His grip tightened on the bloodied cloth in his hands. They'd make it through this. All of them would. They had to.

Waiting for Chopper to return, both could not ignore the fact, that what they were doing now was not actually helping at all. Whatever amount of blood their shirts collected from his bleeding his chest was doubled, strewn across the deck, to be collected by the cloth of their pants'. If they moved him, they ran the risk of puncturing his other organs and making his condition worse, but how things were going, he'd be dead in time regardless.

Usopp looked down at his best friend in concern. He'd seen him hurt, but this time it was different. This time _he_ had to press the cloth to his wound. He'd never seen his friend like _this_ either. He was broken. His ribs on his right side jutted out in odd directions, his eyes were now open slightly, and they looked glazed. They looked lifeless. Dead. The thought made him shutter, so he focused on the boy's wound, but soon found his eyes again wondering, this time to the girl before him.

She was no longer staring before her. Now her eyes locked on Luffy's. She gazed into his eyes, their normal fire was diminished, like the last breaths of a fire. Seeing that vacant, lifeless glaze in his eyes scared her, but she did not look away. If she did, she feared he would slip through her fingers to be lost to her forever.

His breathing suddenly hitched and grew rapid, mixed with coughs full of blood. His skin was pale and blue. He opened his eyes in slits but kept closing them seconds after they opened. It was sudden, and it was subtle too. Nami noticed it, however.

"Shock(6)," she murmured and Usopp looked up to her. Her gaze did not meet his; it was locked firmly on Luffy, "Shock!" She repeated with more urgency, "Usopp put your bag under his feet! Keep his legs elevated!" Her mind raced, _'After all this time he goes into shock now?'_

Usopp didn't ask questions and immediately obeyed. Removing his bag and placing it under Luffy's ankles. He then glanced up to Nami. She was buttoning Luffy's vest; her hands were shaking violently. After she had finished, she picked up the rag and again pressed his wound. Usopp followed.

"T-this is all I know do to for now…" she sniffled, her eyes were full of tears.

The sniper did not know what to say.

It was not long after that the boy stopped breathing. Neither knew what to do at this point. Was it best to leave him like this? He'd not bleed, but could he be revivified later? Should they induce CPR? But is that possible or safe even with his decimated ribcage? He was rubber and it would not crush his heart, but still, could his body take that kind of stress? Nami then decided. She wasn't going to wait and let his life slip through her fingers. She'd preform CPR. She locked her fingers and began chest compressions. _She'd_ save him, or she'd let their blood mix and die too. His life was now her life and she'd save them both.

* * *

><p><strong>AND THEN EVERYBODY DIED. <strong>

**THE END. **

**WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.**

** GHUAHAHAHAHAHAHA. God, the gore level just went from knee-deep to six-feet under, and it only gets deeper :U. Pardon, if any of that medical mumbo-jumbo is incorrect; I'm intrigued and know some stuff, but for now I write fanfictions, not medical books.**

** Some medical crap I DO know that might be helpful in comprehending the passage:**

** _(1)Intercostal muscles _are the muscles in between and around your ribs. They help you breath.  
><strong>

**_(2)Hemostats _are surgical tools used to clamp arteries closed. They look kind of like scissors but with clamps. My mom gave me a pair "just in case"…hmm…peculiar. -sounds like it has to do with the story. - It doesn't. - **

**_(3)Hydrogen Peroxide [2(OH)]_ is rubbing alcohol. Be more observant next time you get a boo-boo! NOTE: Using 2(OH) on large wounds is not proper procedure! Don't do it! I know, but I honestly can't find what _is _used to clean such wounds so I had to use what I know.**

** _(4)Tourniquets_ are used to stop or slow blood flow. Most of you have probably seen and/or heard of them, maybe even had to use one. And yes, abdominal tourniquets do exist. **

**(5) The "_aorta_" is the largest artery in your body (note that arteries carry _oxygenated_ blood). Originating directly out of the top of the heart it then turns (aortic arch) to run down the center of the body and separates near the pelvis into two less massive arteries. If cut deep enough so that blood is able to escape, an average person is likely to bleed out in 2-3 minutes. **

**_(6)Shock_ is what happens to a person when they are not getting enough oxygenated blood to their body. It can lead to permanent organ damage and death. One procedure to help someone is to elevate their feet 12 inches (31 centimeters). Logically, Luffy would have been gone into shock _long_ before the time that he did, but for story's sake and because Luffy seems to have an endless blood supply, it happened later. All in all, if they weren't the main characters they'd be dead. _Very _dead_._ **

**There. Now you got some smarty-stuffs for the day. Now if anyone ever says you can't learn from a fanfiction, you can promptly show them this and then shove their face into a blender filled with cabbage and raw seaweed.**


	2. Stagnant Aggravation

**Spiders in the Attic**

**Chapter Two: Stagnant Aggravation**

**Sorry for the long absence, I don't really think there's an explanation other than I'm just not "feeling it" right now. I feel kind of like I'm trapped in a cage, and that really saps the motivation. **

**But here, have some more spiders.**

* * *

><p>He wasn't breathing. God. He <em>still<em> wasn't _breathing_. What now? What _now_?! Nami's thoughts raced as fast as her heart pounded. Usopp eyed her work, his face consumed with worry. A brisk tapping sound made his head jerk up.

"Chopper!" his voice was filled with fear instead of relief.

It was then Nami's turn to nearly induce whiplash, snapped her sight toward him. She watched him approach catching his split-second expression. She knew his thoughts and she knew how his heart sank.

"Chopper! He's-he's not _breathing_!" Nami screamed through choked sobs.

"It's okay, Nami," he wasn't sure it was her he was trying to reassure, "I'll take over from here!" he announced as he raced to her placed as both she and Usopp stood up and backed away to give him space. He only took a brief moment to examine him before he transformed into his human point and scooped the limp form of his captain into his arms. "I can't work on him here! Go get Robin and bring Sanji and Zoro too!" he barely annunciated the syllables as he raced into the infirmary, the door swinging on its hinges as he sprinted in.

Chopper had been in the infirmary for hours now and each crew member had their own way of dealing with the situation. After Zoro had woken up, he was irate. He blamed himself for the whole thing. He blamed himself for being weak, so despite Chopper's words to rest, he stormed off and immediately began training after waking. Zoro was the least injured, being covered a few severe bruises and a few fractured ribs. Chopper had no time to scold him any longer about rest and had locked the doors to the infirmary and went to work on Luffy and Sanji. Robin was with him as an assistant. When he requested a tool, she have it to him in milliseconds. Usopp paced outside the door to the infirmary, every now and then he'd stop abruptly with wide eyes, as if he'd just figured the whole mess out, but he'd then just as quickly shake his head and begin pacing again. Nami wore her worry on her shirt like a badge. She sat outside the door while Usopp paced in front of her. She had chosen not to use a chair next to her and sat on the floor like it was all her fault and, by doing so, she was punishing herself. Her back was against the wall and she had brought her knees to her chest and hugged them as though they'd supply her with the necessary comfort. Her eyes were locked on something in front of her, not there really, but miles and years away from her, unreachable. Her eyes looked but did not see. After a while Usopp stopped, but this time he looked down at the girl before him, sighed and sat down next to her.

"I've been thinking," he began, "I don't exactly know what…ya know…_happened._"

The girl showed no sign she knew he was there.

But she knew. She heard and she listened.

But he had not yet _asked_.

"Nami," he said sternly, pausing to swallow, "What happened?"

She said nothing for a moment, then her body suddenly tensed and her head shot in his direction. Her eyes were bloodshot and full of tears. Usopp visibly jerked backwards at her gaze. He saw her lip start to quiver as she opened her mouth to speak but shut it again. She shook her head and he heard her choked sobs as she concealed her face in her knees. He looked at her, worried, and then grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. She immediately grabbed him around the chest and buried her face into his shirt, letting herself cry. He clenched his teeth together as tears welled in his own eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said calmly. She had stopped crying and now they sat side by side, staring at the door in front of them. "I don't know it all, but I-I woke up and…" she paused, holding her words on her breath.

"You don't have to tell me anything."

"I think you deserve to know anything I do."

He waited for her to continue.

"I woke up because I heard screaming. At first I thought it was in a dream and I almost went back to sleep, but something was…weird. There was something in the air that made it _taste_…nasty. It felt heavy and I couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong, very wrong, so I got up and went out onto the deck and looked around. When I heard footsteps behind me, I thought it was one of you guys coming to wonder why I was up, but…when I saw Luffy…and the blood…" her voiced trembled under her words, "_God_…Usopp…there was so much _blood_," every syllable on her breath seemed to be immensely heavy, each carrying the weight of her anguish. Holding her hands before her and staring at them, she imagined the crimson liquid that had splattered across her hands and arms, washed off now, but it she could still feel the warm life it was supposed to denote, and she could feel that it slowly turn and become cold and unnatural. Out of place.

He put his hand on her shoulder, "Nami, you don't have to-"

"I'll finish – I'm fine," she wiped away a few tears, "I ran to the hatch and yelled for Chopper and then ran to Luffy. I'm not sure if he saw me before. When I finally got to him, he was about to fall over, so I caught him and laid him down. He was so pale and…his wounds were so horrible. He spoke to me weakly and then…he smiled and…the way he sounded…it…it was like he was speaking his last words. I was so…scared. That's when you came with Robin and Chopper."

"I guess they are the only ones who know who did this then," Usopp said trying to change the subject to ease his friend's mind, "Nami?"

"I thought I could handle this. I really did. After Luffy came back with those horrible injuries from Crocodile, I thought I could handle…_this._ I thought _I_ was strong enough, but in the end…all I could do was cry."

He looked at her in bewilderment, "Th-that's not true! Without you Luffy might have died! Sanji too!" he threw his arms in the air, "If you hadn't have gotten up none of us would have ever even _known_. We would have found two of our friends dead! Chopper would have needed body bags instead of bandages! _You_ knew how to help stop his bleeding, _you_ knew what to do when he went into shock, _you_ performed CPR! Nami, _you_ saved him!" noticing his voice had risen, he quickly lowered it and faced hergrabbing her shoulders and looking at her straight in the eyes, "Nami…you _are_ strong."

She looked at him for a moment in genuine wonder; Usopp always did seem to have a way with words. She gave him a faint, somewhat-reassuring smile and then turned her gaze back to the floor.

Suddenly the door in front of them made a small click before it creaked open completely. Nami shot up and stood next to Usopp, who had also stood. Zoro had heard the door and was there before it had fully opened. The three now stood together, lined up against the wall like criminals about to be executed, but it was not a bullet that would kill them.

In the doorway Chopper stood, eyes locked firmly the floor ahead of him; he seemed almost dizzy and swayed slightly from side to side. His fur was matted down all over and curled awkwardly in all directions. The blotches on his fur were a deep red, brown colour. The oh-too-familiar smell of copper hung in the air. His breath was slow and heavy, his eyes wide and blood shot. His three companions watched him with such an urgent worriedness, they did not even notice as Robin crept from the infirmary and slumped down tiredly next to the entrance and cover her eyes with her bloody palm. All eyes were on Chopper solely.

After a moment it finally seemed to register in his mind that they were all waiting for him to speak, and his head jerked up to them. His eyes met each of theirs before he opened his mouth only to shut it again, his lip quivering. His thoughts stockpiled in his mind and clouded his sight with crimson.

"Chopper?" Usopp piped up, his tone urged the young doctor to speak.

Chopper shook his head and wiped his hoof across his eyes, "Sorry…"

"I'm alright," he tried to convince himself, "I just…" his hooves came up to his eyes again, furiously wiping his tears. Nami knelt down and took him into a hug, "I – they…I lost them so many times! I-I was scared…so scared! What if they leave…and don't come back! What ifI_ can't_ bring them back?!" he sobbed into her shirt.

No one said a word. What could be said?

There was nothing to say.

"We have to find out who did this."

Usopp looked up at the girl. Chopper slept silently in her lap, his fur now cleaned and neatly brushed back into place. He looked almost at peace, but they all knew better than to think that.

"We've searched the ship five times. We tore this place apart and there's no sign of _anyone_. No sign anyone invaded us and no sign of them leaving or still being here." Usopp yelled slamming his fists into the table. Robin flinched at his sudden movement.

"What if it was the marines or… another pirate crew? They could have left in their ship."

"Why would they only go for Sanji and Luffy, and besides, Zoro was up in the crows nest, nothing got past him! Right!?" Usopp looked over to Zoro who was leaning against the wall across the room, his arms folded before him.

"Maybe something did get past him! Maybe he fell asleep! Wouldn't be the first time!" Nami snapped at him.

"Excuse me!? At least I actually take watch, unlike some people who can't take one night without sleep!" Zoro yelled.

"I can't believe you! You know the reason I don't take watch! If I stay awake all night who's going to keep us from getting torn to pieces by a cyclone in the morning!? Who keeps track of our savings so we don't starve!? What do you do for the crew?! All you do is sleep all day!"

"And you only charge for anything you do for us! I've saved your ass more times than I can count!"

"Well, at least I didn't almost get two of our friends killed!"

"Enough!" Robin broke out holding both of them down.

"What!?" they shouted in unison, shooting enraged looks toward her, which turned into shocked expressions when they noticed Chopper sitting next to her his face buried in her side.

"If we start fighting with each other how any of will this be solved? Feel free to discuss the situation but don't forget you're not the only ones here," she said releasing them from her powers and putting an arm around the young doctor.

"You're right," Nami said dryly and sat back down. Zoro said nothing and walked out the door without a word.

Usopp made a move to follow him but Robin stopped him.

"Let him go, he has different ways of dealing with these things."

Usopp looked back at the galley door, still wanting to follow him, but instead nodded and sat down.

"There has to be something we're missing," he said quietly, folding his hands in front of him.

"Guys…" Chopper muttered from his seat on Robin's lap, "I- I think I know who did this…"

They exchanged looks and then looked back at their youngest member.

"Who?" They asked in unison.

* * *

><p><strong>Raise your hand and tell me if you know who did it.<strong>


	3. Betrayal

**First and foremost, I would like to thank you all for your support even if I'm very inconsistent with updates. I wish I had more time to write today, but I've had a lot of trouble getting time to myself between work and misc. I also have exams coming up soon, bleh. You guys make it worth it and I really do appreciate the feedback! **

** FlightWulf: Awww, I can always count on you for such a review! Thank you very much for the feedback and support! I've read "The Dark Truth" and I guess they are kind of similar. This story's going to get worse than what it is now…heh. And you're right! I ****_did_**** do it! IT WAS ME. What?! I didn't know they needed their organs to live! Geez! Were you disappointed with La Tejedora? –I kind of was myself- I hope to not disappoint for this story (tell me if I do)!**

** 1327: Of course it's okay! I'm the same way. :D**

**I hope I surprise you all with the identity of the culprit… :U**

**Angsty shit in the chapters ahead. **

"Who?" they asked in unison.

"I examined their wounds and I was able to conclude what type of weapon did the damage," he swallowed, "based on the curvature of the flesh wounds and fineness of the cuts in the bone, the weapon is most likely a sword, or more precisely a katana…or several."

There was a long pause.

He shifted uncomfortably, immediately regretting making his assumption known.

"Katana…then you mean to say that…" Usopp began confused, before his eye narrowed and he stood his arms propping him up from the table staring the reindeer down, "No way. There is _no way_ that _Zoro_ would do _that_. He doesn't get along with Sanji but he would never try to **_kill_** him and he would _never_**_ever_** hurt Luffy, and let's not forget _he_ was hurt _too._ There is _no way_ that's true."

"I didn't say I liked the idea!" Chopper shouted in defense, "Besides, his wounds were not serious at all and… they are consistent with attacks Sanji could make _in self-defense. _Why would the attacker stab Luffy and Sanji and not Zoro, the only one with physical weaponry!?" he paused for a moment, "_but_…if I could see his swords, I could confirm whether or not he _did_. I could run tests for Sanji or Luffy's blood."

"Well, great," Usopp sighed slumping back down into his seat, "How are we going to get his swords? He never lets them out of his sight!" he said throwing his arms in the air.

"And if we asked he'd get suspicious. He'd be furious if he knew about this," Nami said.

"Not to mention if it really was him, he'd kill us," Usopp said plainly.

"I thought you said there was no way he was the one who did this," Nami said giving him an incredulous look from across the table. Tensions seemed to be rising in every way.

"I just…don't know anymore. I wish Luffy and Sanji were here…It's just not right without them."

"They aren't _dead_, Usopp."

"But they will be if we don't find the culprit," Robin cut in, "Perhaps they will also come after us."

"D-don't say that, Robin!" Usopp stuttered.

"What if we sedated him?" Chopper piped up, more to himself than to them.

"What?" Nami questioned through a whisper.

"Zoro. What…what if I sedated him, put something in his drink; we could get his swords and return them without any harm."

Usopp and Nami exchanged uneasy glances before Usopp spoke up.

"I-I don't know. Zoro's our nakama-"

"-Who just nearly killed our captain and our cook!" Chopper blurted out.

"We don't know that yet!"

"Call it _instinct_," there was almost a hint of _venom_ in his tone, "if _I_ sedate him and he _is_ the culprit maybe I can find out what is wrong with him!" he stopped to calm himself when he realized his voice had risen, "I just…don't want to have to see you guys on the operating table too."

"I guess it's alright. We do need to know…" Nami muttered.

"Ok, yeah, I guess you're right."

Robin said nothing but made no move to stop them. None of them felt right doing this. They were a close-knit family, one that shouldn't operate behind a member's back.

"Alright then, it's decided. I'll go get some sleeping pills ready and you guys start on dinner," Chopper said as he hopped off Robin's lap and headed for the door.

"It's already evening!?"

"Funny how such long days fly by," Robin said, standing and walking over to the kitchen to help Nami with supper.

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"This just doesn't feel right…he's our nakama. Aren't we…ya know betraying him? Zoro's kind of edgy sometimes, but we all know he cares about us," Usopp said from the table as the two were finishing up dinner.

"I don't feel any better about it than you do, but you have got to admit that something's off about him. I swear he was about to attack me…" Nami muttered the last bit just enough to be heard as she tossed the salad in the bowl in front of her.

Usopp sighed, looking down into his cup of water; he didn't know what to say. He just felt sick and wretched and cold.

"Alright, dinner is just about ready. Go see if Chopper is ready," Nami said without looking up from her work.

Usopp sighed and slumped his head onto the table before standing up reluctantly and sulking toward the door. He squinted his eyes as the sunlight poured into them from the setting Sun. The sunset was a deep red colour; he remembered Nami saying that such a colour usually denoted dry weather for the next day. He sighed again and then made his way down the stairs and into the infirmary. He paused at the door and knocked.

"Chopper? You ready yet? Dinner's finished," he said without a hint of enthusiasm.

There was a sound of clambering footsteps and clanking bottles, "Uh…Yeah! Okay!"

"You okay? Mind if I come in," he said as he pushed on the door.

"NO! Don't come in. I'm almost finished, I'll meet you up there!"

Usopp hesitated, a confused look strewn across his face, "Alright, if you say so," he said as he turned and walked back to the galley.

"Where's Chopper? Isn't he done yet?" Nami asked incredulously, "Zoro is going to be here soon; he's almost finished with his workout! We need to put the pill in his drink before he gets here!"

Usopp opened his mouth to answer.

"I'm here!" Chopper said running into the galley, "Sorry, I ran into some…complications."

"Just hurry up and put it into his bottle of sake," Nami ordered.

"Okay. It's all set. He won't be able to smell, see or taste it."

"Good."

"Here he comes," Robin said sitting down at the table, "We need to act natural."

"R-right," Chopper squeaked, as he ran to sit at the table.

Nami set the last dish down as Zoro walked in rubbing a towel around the back of his neck.

"Ugh, can't you wash up a bit after you train, honestly," Nami said pinching her nose, "You smell like a pair of sweaty shoes."

"Tch, whatever witch," he said without looking at her taking a seat next to Chopper.

She rolled her eyes and sat down next to Robin.

The next few moments they sat in silence, each taking a few bites from their plates gingerly and without looking at anyone else.

"It's really good, Nami, Robin," Usopp said looking from one girl to the other with an awkward smile.

"Thanks," she said glancing up from her food, Robin smiling slightly beside her.

Silence continued.

"It's…too quiet," Chopper said, but no one acknowledged him or anything else until Zoro grabbed his bottle.

Then suddenly the tension was cold in the air and their forks froze at their plates. If they didn't glance with their eyes, they did so with their minds, which were all packed full of ice and guilt and worry.

Zoro uncorked the bottle and raised it to his lips. Abruptly he closed his lips and slammed the bottle onto the table.

"What the Hell is this?!" he yelled, standing up and slamming his hands on the table.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Usopp asked.

Zoro jerked his head toward Usopp, "How dumb do you think I am?! Putting something in my drink?! You honestly think I wouldn't notice! I can practically smell the treachery in the air!" He said picking up the bottle and throwing it into the wall. It shattered so loud that it made them all jump in their seats.

"YOU THINK I DID THIS?!" he yelled as loud as they'd ever heard him.

"We- we didn't want to! You were the only one who was there! Chopper thinks their wounds were made by katana!" Usopp said nervously trying to explain.

"Oh, so that makes me the one who did it!?" he said walking toward him, "It wasn't me!" Taking another step closer, "I can't believe this! After all the times, I've saved your sorry asses, and then you accuse me of trying to kill the crew!"

Usopp opened his mouth to respond.

"You know what? FINE, whatever. If you guys can't trust me, then I'm out," he said turning to the door.

"Zoro wait!" Usopp rushed to block the door, "You're right okay! We shouldn't have done tried to do that! We all just want to know what happened. We're all just a little confused and scared!"

"I don't know what happened, okay?! Now _move_."

"Zoro-" Nami started.

"I said get out of my way-" he fell to the floor.

"Zoro!" Usopp yelled, "What-?"

"He's just unconscious," Chopper said holding up an empty syringe. His ears flattened back.

"Sorry."

**Time to go to work. Bye guyz.**


	4. Decisions

**All of my friends gave me Snickers for Christmas, and I have over three pounds of it now.**

**Send help.**

"Chopper!" Nami screamed bringing her hands up to her mouth.

"I'm sorry! He was going to leave! It's a very mild sedative; he'll be fine when he wakes up! I just…" he trailed off, his head down in shame.

"The point is, we can now examine his swords and help him," Robin said calmly.

"If he did it," Chopper added.

"If he did it," she confirmed.

There was a silence as they looked over the scene. Their unconscious friend, laying motionless on the floor. The shattered bottle, adjacent to the trust they all once had between them.

"Come on. I'll get to work," Chopper said, changing into heavy point before lifting Zoro in his arms and walking out the door.

They neglected to exchange looks and merely followed silently through the wooden frame of the door, closing it behind them.

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"So how exactly do we figure this out?" Ussop questioned as Chopper set the swords on a table and unsheathed one.

"This," Chopper picked up a tube and held it in between their faces, "is Luminol, a chemical that reacts with the iron in hemoglobin of animal blood. By spraying this on the blades of his katana, I can detect even the smallest traces of blood."

"But wait a minute," Nami said walking up to the table, "Zoro's cut more enemies than any of us can count. Couldn't it just be from other battles we've been through?"

"I thought about that too, but after the battle with those slave traders, Zoro's blades were covered in dirt, debris, and soaked in salt water. When we got back, he cleaned them thoroughly. Any blood residue would most likely be washed away."

"I don't think we should judge this on 'most likely.'"

"I know, I know, but look," he said as he sprayed the liquid onto the blades and instantly they lit up a florescent blue, "There's way more blood than there should be even if some was left behind from previous battles," he looked down at the blue colour accusingly, "but…just to make sure, I'll take some samples and run tests against both Sanji's and Luffy's blood types. It should only take at most an hour. You can take Zoro into the men's quarters, but make sure you keep an eye on him…just in case."

"Alright, well, let me help you!" Usopp beamed.

"That's alright I can handle it by myself."

"I want to find out what's wrong too! The sooner we get answers the sooner we're all a family again! Please, you gotta let me help, Chopper!"

"O-okay," he gave a slight smile.

"I will take Mr. Swordsman to his hammock. Care to help me, Ms. Navigator?"

"Uh, sure," Nami nodded as she help the older woman out the door.

"So what do we do first?"

"Well because the blood is dried, we'll need to scrape off what we can and rehydrate it. After that I'll use one of the samples we collect to run for their blood."

"Okay, I'll get to work on this sword!"

Chopper nodded and reached for the next. Usopp jumped when he heard the sword clatter to the floor and Chopper reel back.

_Sandai Kitetsu._

"Hey, Chopper, are you okay?"

"Um…y-yeah I…slipped… Hey, do you want to try the Luminol? I'll get the samples."

"Sure! I just spray it onto the blade like this, right?"

"Y-yeah, like that," he said glancing up and then just as quickly shifting his eyes back to his work.

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"_No way_…" Usopp said in a defeated tone.

"Let's go and tell the others," Chopper said, already at the door.

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"This is insane. I…I can't believe it. We're actually going to interrogate him?!"

"Nami, the results were positive! We have to know why!"

"Alright, alright. Let's just get it over with…."

Robin nodded and pushed open the door, entering first.

"Z-Zoro?" Usopp stuttered.

"So it's really gotten this far, huh?" Zoro replied from the other side of the room, "What? Am I a prisoner in my own home or something?"

"We…we just want to know what happened," Chopper asked.

"I already told you! No one got past me! There wasn't an enemy on the ship! I went down to the galley when I heard Luffy yelling, then nothing! Okay!? Someone hit me from behind!"

"Zoro, we found their blood on your swords!"

Zoro froze.

"I'm…I know okay? I _know_ this is my fault! You don't have to tell me! I was on watch! I was there! They got hurt because I was weak!" He yelled covering his face in in hand, "I don't need you guys to tell me that!"

"Zoro!" Nami said hitting him over the head, "We're not blaming you for anything! Like it or not you're our nakama! We'd never blame you for this. We don't know why their blood is on your katana, but we think it may be because you were being controlled! Whether or not you don't remember, we still have to put our heads together to figure this out!"

Zoro grunted and smiled, "Never thought I'd be lectured by a witch," he sighed, "No one got past me. No one was on the ship but us."

They exchanged uneasy glances.

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"This is so messed up…" Usopp said, slumping down into his seat, his head in his palms.

"I feel horrible…" Chopper murmured. He was face down on the table, the rest if his body was limp, and his arms dangled by his sides, "I didn't get any sleep last night…"

"I don't think any of us did. Do we really have to keep him locked up?"

"The tests were positive," Chopper said looking up, "I don't know what was wrong with him, but it could happen again. We can't risk him hurting anyone else...Besides, it was his idea."

There was a long silence as the four sat at the table. Breakfast had been ready for an hour, but none of them had touched it.

"We should be arriving at the next island tomorrow evening," Nami said over her cup of coffee, "It's a summer island known for its beautiful weather."

"It's probably a great place for getting a tan and swimming then," Usopp said.

Nami suddenly shot up from the table and headed toward the door.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What do you think I'm going to do? I'm sick of sitting here doing nothing! I'm going to go find out what's going on here!" She said throwing her arms in the air and continuing out the door. She gasped and froze once she got outside. The figure brought tears to her eyes. She brought her hand up to her mouth as tears rolled down her face.

The others rushed out the door and stood behind her, surprised to see the figure as well.

"Mellorine," he cooed.

**Dammit**.

**Cut off by work again. **

**~Merry Christmas~**


	5. Fear Itself

**SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG. It doesn't feel like 6 months...**

** HemlockAndy: I do like spiders. I try to save them instead of killing them. I play with them too. **

**BRIEF SUMMARY:**

_**Luffy wakes after having passed out from a long battle, and heads to the galley to steal some food. However, he finds Sanji curled up near the fridge, fatally wounded and unconscious. Zoro finds them, but before they have the chance to call for Chopper, they are both brutally attacked and left for dead. Later, Nami wakes with a start and investigates after having a bad feeling and finds Luffy on the deck, delirious from blood loss. She calls for Chopper who as per Luffy's orders tends to them all, taking care of Zoro and Sanji first. The crew discuss the situation after the three are taken care of and raise suspicion Zoro, the least injured of the three might be the culprit and try to subdue him despite the feelings of betrayal in their hearts. Hurt by the assumptions and his own weakness, Zoro confines himself to quarters in case they were correct. As the crew walk out onto the deck, Sanji appears from the infirmary. **_

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"S-Sanji!" Nami ran over to him, embracing him instantly. He responded with nothing more than a grunt.

"Oh my gosh, you're wounds; I'm sor-" she began, but stopped when she saw the hearts in his eyes.

"S-soft…This is our Nami-swan~" he mumbled with a warped smile. Any concern for him instantaneously vanished. She knew exactly what was going through his mind. Pain wasn't anywhere in his mind.

"Agh! I should know better than to worry about you!" she yelled smacking him on the head.

"Ah! Nami-san is as boisterous as ever!~" he swooned, his body now splayed across the deck, his eyes still hearts.

"Sanji! You're awake!" Usopp ran up to hug him smiling, but he was stopped with a shoe to the face, which kept him at legs distance, his arms still stretched toward the other man and his face now comically squished together.

"Hugs are reserved for the ladies!" Sanji said with a stern tinge of annoyance, regaining his composure and calm attitude.

"Cook-san, I am glad to see you are awake and well," Robin now walked out into his line of sight, earning a sound of joy and a gaze full of hearts.

"Robin-chwan!" he extended his arms, expecting a hug as well. She smiled but did not move to embrace him. He didn't look the least bit disheartened.

Chopper forced his way past his nakamas' legs and stood in front of him, "What are you doing out of bed! You're still hurt!" he pointed an accusing hoof at the taller man.

"Well, I have a good doctor," he smiled. Chopper squeaked and danced at the compliment, "Besides I couldn't very well let my ladies slave over the hot stove while I sleep now could I?" he took Robin's hand in his and bowed, "They deserve only the best meals I have to offer without having to lift a finger~" he smiled and lightly kissed her hand.

Robin smiled once again.

Usopp sighed, "Well at least we know he's back to normal…Sanji normal anyways."

"Wait a minute! Sanji! Who was it that attacked you!?" Nami burst out all of the sudden. They had been so happy and shocked to see him, they'd forgotten he was the one who saw the attacker!

Sanji stopped kissing Robin's hand for a moment and looked in her direction then sighed.

"Unfortunately, I can't remember anything very well. I was going to ask you guys what had happened. It's not exactly normal to wake up in the infirmary and not know why, even for us," he said taking out a cigarette and lighting it, bringing a stronger sense of seriousness to the conversation, "I saw Luffy in the infirmary with me…Just what exactly happened to us?"

"That sounds about right," Chopper spoke up, "The trauma and blood loss are the likely causes. It might be a few days for it to return so don't try to force yourself to remember. And I don't want anyone to force questions on him either!" Chopper looked at each crewmember to ensure that they each understood.

Robin nodded, "It's best we simply wait for Cook-can to remember. More stress would be bad for all of us."

"So you really don't remember anything either?" Usopp mumbled and slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"I told you, everything's hazy. Wait, what do you mean either? Who-" his eyes narrowed as he noticed the only crewmember he had yet to see.

"I think it's best you sit down for this," Nami said directing him toward the galley.

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"What?!" Sanji yelled, grabbing Usopp by the shirt, "You're telling me that dumbass marimo is to blame for all of this?!"

"Woah woah woah! Sanji! I said we weren't _sure_ what's going on. Zoro might have been possessed, but none of us really know! Maybe he didn't even do anything!"

"Grrh, That moss-head had watch that night, didn't he?! Regardless, this is his fault. That idiot didn't remain vigilant! He probably fell asleep! What if the ladies had been injured?! Oh, I'm glad it was me and not you Nami-swan! Robin-chawn! I'll talk to that idiot myself," he said as he shot up from the table and turned toward the door in a fury.

"Sit down, Sanji!" Nami ordered sternly in her 'do-this-now-or-someone-will-die' voice, "none of that matters now." She stood leaning against the doorway, facing the outside. None of them except Robin had noticed her stand and walk from the table to block the door, "What matters is that we're all together and alive. We'll put out heads together and figure this out when Luffy wakes up. How do you think he'd feel if we all just started blaming each other? The last thing we want to do is start killing each other." She turned to them, "we'd just be doing our enemy's job for them."

For a moment everyone in the room simply stared at her. What she had said was completely true and was exactly what they all had needed to hear. When spoken aloud, it made them each face the truth of how they'd been acting. Were they really so weak and useless without their captain? Not even able to remain a family without him?

Sanji broke the silence with the clap of his hands and another swoon, "Nami-san is so wise!"

"Y-yeah…Well said Nami," Usopp gave her a thumbs up.

Chopper had tears in his eyes that threatened to fall but did not. He wiped tem away, smiled, and mimicked Usopp's gesture.

She smiled, turned to the doorway again and walked out and leaned on the railing. The others followed suit, shortly after her.

"We have a good tail wind, and will most-likely reach the nearby island sooner than I expected. We should get a good night sleep. I guess we could all use it," she swallowed and didn't speak for a moment as she turned. Her eyes wandered to the wooden boards below her friends' feet. Zoro's words from before popped into her conscious, "I'll take watch."

Sanji made an audible gasp from behind her, "Nami-swan please allow me to take watch in your place. What of your beauty sleep, my dear!?"

"Eh? Are you saying I won't still be beautiful without sleep?" she said deliberately poking at his weakness.

He now looked visible distressed and chewed on his lip nervously, "No! Nami-san, that's not what I-"

"Then let me take watch," she smiled, "Besides you need rest more than me right now."

Chopper gave a slight hop in realization, "She's right!" He pointed at Sanji, "You need to get back in bed right now! Doctor's orders! And I don't wanna see you up again until I say!" With that he began forcing Sanji toward the infirmary despite his complaints.

"You guys go ahead; I'll be fine."

The other two nodded and walked down the steps into their rooms.

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The night air was cool. From it and the colours the sunset had been she could tell it would be a beautiful day tomorrow. Or at least she hoped. The Grand Line promised to be unpredictable until the last second and she knew how well it could deliver on that promise. How quickly the beautiful and sunny clear blue skies, that were free of any hints of danger, could turn into a horrible, black-clouded, maelstrom bent on killing them all and throwing them into the darkness of the sea. She shivered, as she juxtaposed the situations. How quickly they had all turned on each other.

They were all so scared.

She hung her head for a moment before heading to the front of the ship. Once there, she glanced up at the lamb head where her captain always sat, ready to be the first one to smell any adventure.

And the first one to take on any danger.

The thought made her smile - he cared about them all so much – but at the same time, her heart sunk with worry that one day he'd push himself too far – for them – and they wouldn't be strong enough to aid him.

After her thoughts settled, she climbed up onto the masthead and sat with her legs folded under her.

"I think our captain would be disappointed in us," a voice spoke calmly from behind.

She knew exactly who it was, but she turned to look at the man anyway. There's no way he'd leave her alone here, especially not after what happened.

"You should be asleep. Chopper's going to have your head," she smiled.

"Heh, he won't have it if he's trying to save it…" he joked before it clicked in his mind, "AH NAMI-SAN IS WORRIED ABOUT ME!" he swooned and cooed.

She face palmed, _I should have expected this. Can't even get one serious conversation._

"Guh," he stopped suddenly and grabbed his abdomen. A few stitches had come loose.

"Sanji!" she jumped down from her perch and helped him into a sitting position, "You idiot! You shouldn't be up!"

"How easy was it to start blaming each other?" he asked suddenly, his eyes dark and solemn, stilling looking down into his lap.

"Uh-I-what do you mean?"

"If there's anyone here to blame for this, it should be me! I was the one who let my guard down! I'm the one who woke up but can't remember anything useful!" he cringed at his own words and held his head in his hands, shame was beginning to fester in his mind and corrupt his thoughts, "And all I did was immediately blame someone else…" he breathed out.

"Sanji! It's…it's not your fault," she said sitting down next to him, with her hands in her lap, "It's, it's no one's fault…There's not a single one of us who'd do this…"

"If that rubber idiot were awake for this he'd give us all some lecture, I'm sure. If he knew we blamed one of our nakama and locked him up too…" he looked away with an awkward half-smile.

Nami breathed out a smile and looked off in the same direction, "Yeah," she scoffed.

They both shuddered simultaneously.

"Eh. Maybe, we shouldn't mention that part when he wakes up."

"Agreed," she nodded with conviction.

A cold breeze ruffled their hair and sent shivers down their spines.

"Hey…Sanji," Nami began, hiding her eyes, "All this…what's going on…" she took a deep breath and looked up at him, "I'm scared."

He opened his mouth slightly at her confession, then closed it quickly, and pulled his arm around her, drawing her into his chest. For once there was no swooning or sappy love. He said nothing as she shivered in his arms, but with every ounce of her being she was glad he remained silent. In the stillness, she could hear him breathing calmly and was reassured that he was still alive and that so was she. Words would be a waste of that breath.

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**This isn't SaNa, just nakamship or whatever. Chivarly. **


	6. Chapter 5point5

**This was actually supposed to be part of chapter 5 but I totally forgot I wanted to add this part. So this is chapter 5.5**

**THIS ALSO MEANS IT'S SHORT**

**edit: fixed some grammar issues - tell me if there's more!**

There was a scream. As clear as day she could recall it. It tore through her thoughts and ripped at her heart jolting her into alert. Her body felt sticky, slick with a cold sweat and a shiver that hung onto the back of her neck, making her hackles raise. Her legs felt like nothing, like they weren't even beneath her and she was simply floating across the room to the hatch leading into the men's quarters. A ghost. A hollow manifestation.

Suddenly her hand felt itself around the latch mechanism. It's cool touch matching the feeling in her chest. It opened with a click and a long, echoing creak. Oh god, how she had wished she'd given Usopp the money to buy oil for it.

With a deep breath she crept into the dark room. Surrounded by her sleeping nakama, she had hoped she would've felt safer. Their calm, laidback snores would reassure her she was going to be fine. That all was well.

But it wasn't.

As soon as both of her feet hit the boards of the floor, she could feel a deep wave of dread pile over her and steal away her breath. She fell to her knees, using the wall to keep from falling completely over. Something lurked in the shadows of the room, sliding across the floor, belly dragging under it, light hissing noises and the sound of millions of tiny insects crackling about rattled in her brain. An endless static trying to reap the calm from her heart and the sanity from her mind. She held her hands over her ears and squeezed them shut so hard she feared her head would pop.

A click suddenly sounded from one of the dark corners, and the room was set ablaze at its seams. Her nakama lay sprawled out on the floor, some hung from invisible ropes tied to the ceiling. Their mangled forms were twisted in awkward ways. Their hides pale and cold. Their jaws slack and open. Blood poured from their wounds making puddles across the floor. Their eyes dead and their unseeing gaze locked firmly and solely on her. A man stood in the middle of the chaos, like a ring leader in a circus. He smiled at her with a mouth full of stark white teeth, some missing here and there. His eyes were full of the fire that surrounded them.

All the while that endless static played in her mind. Her hands fell to her sides as the man began to laugh at her, his laugh drowning out all other noises.

_Nami. _He called to her. _NAMI. _A step toward her.

The static returned.

The screaming returned.

A symphony of chaos.

"NAMI!"

Her eyes shot open. She was in the galley. Light from the morning sun poured in from the window a few feet away. She was on the floor. A makeshift bed under her, undoubtably made by Sanji, who now loomed over her with a worried expression on his face.

"Nami-san?" he urged her to reply.

"I'm-I'm fine. Just a bad dream. What's that smell?" she changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the darker thoughts.

"Oh! Well, my dear Nami-swan since I had been absent, I decided to make something extra special just for you and Robin-chwan!~" and said, springing up to finish preparations.

"Is Robin up?"

"No, but she should be out here soon, Nami-swan~ The others are probably going to wake up soon too," he held out an arm and gently helped her to her feet, before smiling like a fool and hopping back to the stove.

She stretched with a yawn and combed her hair into place with her fingers, before heading out the door, surprised to see them now anchored at the island she'd mentioned from before.

"We arrived in the middle of the night," a deep voice rang from over the railing.

She walked over to it and poked her head over to see who it was, shocked at its sound. She had already known who it was but part of her wanted confirmation.

"Zoro!" her heart jumped with happiness that she didn't let show. She came down the stairs and stood by him.

He was in the position he'd usually be found on such a pretty day. Arms behind him, his head resting in them. Legs folded over each other, stretched out before him. His eyes were closed, and his face bore no readable expression.

Suddenly his eyes shot open and he smirked, "I guess you really can't take watch. You can't even stay up half the night!"

She was instantly annoyed and closed her eyes, raised her fist, and opened her mouth to deliver her reply in her usually, quite physical manner.

"But…ya know…good job I guess…I was wrong…" he faded out in the last few words, cringing as he spoke them.

Any irritation immediately melted away and was replaced by sheer and utter shock. He arms fell to her sides and he jaw slackened slightly.

"Wha-?"

He was now looking the other way, his eyes fixed on something off the ship in the distance. A light red tinge played across his cheeks. His lips were no pursed together in an awkward frown, where one corner of his mouth was lower than the other.

He shut his eyes lightly, "I shouldn't…I shouldn't have said any of that…It wasn't an appropriate time for it…I-"

"Stop."

He looked up at her this time.

"You're not the one at fault here. I shouldn't have tried and blamed this on you. It was cruel and totally wrong of me. I'm sorry."

It was Zoro's turn to be shocked, and his expression mimicked hers from before.

"Besides, if you actually had apologized you'd make me worry that you actually are possessed!" she smiled, jokingly.

He smirked again, "Okay, I accept your apology…"

She sighed in relief.

"If."

"If?" she repeated, annoyed.

"If you erase my debt."

"WHAT!?"

"You heard me," his smirked remained, waiting for her answer.

Her eyebrow twitched. _He changed attitudes too quickly_… she opened her mouth several times before actually using any words, "…fine," she replied shortly, not looking him in the eye, before standing tall once more and crossing her arms, "Your debt in erased." She then turned on her heels and walked back toward the galley, "Mosshead…" she grumbled intentionally loud enough for him to hear.

_Dammit, _he thought again with a frown, _now there's two of them…_

She smirked, glancing back at him. The way he was with money, he'd have a debt again soon.

**Nananananakamashiip.**

**Seriously.**

**nothing more. **


End file.
